1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and means for mounting a wind turbine on the upper end of a supporting tower and more particularly to a method and means wherein the turbine is winched up the length of the tower on a carriage which rolls along a track or guide rail positioned at one side of the tower.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wind turbines are becoming more popular in the production of electrical energy. The wind turbine normally comprises a rotor-driven generator mounted atop a tower which may reach heights of 70 meters or more. The tower is normally first erected and the wind turbine is then normally mounted on the upper end of the tower by means of an extremely large crane. The customary method of mounting the wind turbine on the upper end of the tower is quite expensive in that the extremely large crane used for positioning the wind turbine on the tower is very expensive and it is costly to have such a crane on site during the erection procedure. Thus, it is advantageous to be able to mount the wind turbine on the upper end of the tower without the use of the extremely large crane.
The wind turbine assembly of this invention comprises a vertically disposed tower having upper and lower ends with the tower having a guide rail means positioned at one side of the tower which extends between the lower and upper ends thereof. A turbine support or carriage is provided which has a pivotal platform mounted thereon adapted to have the wind turbine mounted thereon. The carriage is initially supported on a wheeled frame means such as a truck, trailer or the like. The truck is positioned so that the carriage may be transferred from the truck to the lower end of the guide rail means. The carriage is initially positioned on the lower end of the guide rail in a vertically disposed position. Once the carriage has been mounted on the lower end of the guide rail, the platform of the carriage is pivotally moved to a horizontally disposed position to enable the turbine to be mounted thereon with the turbine being generally horizontally disposed. After the turbine has been secured to the platform, the platform is pivoted so that the wind turbine is substantially vertically disposed with the main shaft (rotor shaft) thereof being positioned at the upper portion of the wind turbine. The spinner/hub and rotor blades are then secured to the main shaft with the rotor blades being disposed in a horizontally disposed condition. A winch means then winches the carriage, with the wind turbine thereon, to the upper end of the tower. When the carriage reaches the upper end of the tower, the platform is again pivoted to cause the wind turbine to be again disposed in a substantially horizontally disposed position. The wind turbine is then slidably moved horizontally onto the upper end of the tower at which time the wind turbine is detached from the platform sled and is securely fashioned to the upper end of the tower. The carriage is then lowered to the lower end of the tower and is removed from the guide rails and placed onto the truck so that the carriage may be used for the erection of other wind turbine assemblies. An alternative method is also disclosed.
In the alternative method, the carriage is initially supported on a wheeled frame means such as a truck, trailer or the like as in the previously described method. The truck is positioned so that the carriage may be transferred from the truck to the lower end of the guide rail means. The carriage is initially positioned on the lower end of the guide rail in a vertically disposed position. Once the carriage has been mounted on the lower end of the guide rail, the platform of the carriage is pivotally moved to a horizontally disposed position to enable the turbine to be mounted thereon with the turbine being generally horizontally disposed and with the turbine being positioned so that the main shaft of the turbine extends towards one side of the tower. After the turbine has been secured to the platform, the carriage is winched upwardly on the tower a distance greater than the rotor-swept area. The spinner/hub and rotor blades are then secured to the main shaft with the rotor blades being disposed in a vertically disposed condition. The winch means then winches the carriage, with the wind turbine thereon, to the upper end of the tower. When the carriage reaches the upper end of the tower, the wind turbine is then slidably moved horizontally onto the upper end of the tower at which time the wind turbine is detached from the platform sled and is securely fashioned to the upper end of the tower. The carriage is then lowered to the lower end of the tower and is removed from the guide rails and placed onto the truck so that the carriage may be used for the erection of other wind turbine assemblies. In the alternative method, the wind turbine always remains in a horizontally disposed position, thereby eliminating any problems with liquids draining from the gearbox, generator, etc.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved method of erecting a wind turbine assembly.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of positioning a wind turbine on the upper end of a wind turbine tower wherein the need of an extremely large crane is eliminated.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a wind turbine assembly wherein the turbine tower has a guide rail at one side thereof to accommodate a carriage to be vertically moved upwardly thereon with the carriage supporting the wind turbine.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved method and means for erecting a wind turbine assembly which is less dangerous than the prior art methods of erecting the same.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved tower for wind turbines.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.